"We are a highly successful department, not just in terms of our world-leading research which is ranked 1st in the UK, but also in providing a great learning environment. Students and academic staff share a passion for English and this is reflected in our innovative portfolio and high rates of student satisfaction."
Professor Tim Kendall, Head of English
Key facts
- 1st in the UK for world leading research in English1
- Ranked in the UK’s top 10 for English in The Times Good University, Complete University, and The Sunday Times 2013 guides
- Top 10 for graduate level employment and postgraduate study rates2
- 10th for Overall Satisfaction in the National Student Survey (2012)3
- Research strengths range widely across English Studies and include creative writing and film
- Teaching and research at campuses in Exeter and Cornwall
- Exciting events programme involving internationally acclaimed authors, actors and directors
- Excellent support and funding opportunities for PhD study
We are one of the leading departments of English in the UK and have an exciting range of undergraduate programmes and modules. We have strengths in teaching and research in most areas from the medieval period to the present day, including particular specialisms in film and creative writing at the Streatham Campus and literature and the environment at the Cornwall Campus.
You will have the opportunity to analyse a wide variety of texts, from some of the oldest in the English language to examples of contemporary writing. As well as studying the work of canonical figures such as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Austen, Joyce and Woolf, we look at a wider selection of works, including popular fiction, film and the works of comparatively little known or neglected authors.
Throughout your studies, you will learn to analyse the literatures of different cultures and periods and to interpret this material within wider contexts of cultural and intellectual history. Our highly qualified staff will help you to develop your ability to read perceptively and critically and to foster your capacity for creative and original thought. You will develop proficiency in research and analysis, an ability to construct coherent, substantiated arguments, and a capacity to propose your own ideas and theories. In the course of seminars and assessments you will develop highly articulate communication skills with an ability to work efficiently and creatively both individually and in groups.
We are a substantial department, with staff based at the Streatham Campus in Exeter and at the Cornwall Campus near Falmouth. At both campuses, you will find research-active staff who are leaders in their field and who share their expertise with you through their undergraduate teaching.
1RAE 2008 based on the percentage of research categorised as 4*
2based on proportion of UK domiciled, full-time, first degree graduates in English with a known career or study destination (HESA 2009/10)
3percentage of English students who agreed they were satisfied
